Britton, influential lobbyist, dead at 88

Britton, influential lobbyist, dead at 88

An influential Jefferson City lobbyist whose legislative victories included bringing legalized riverboat gambling to Missouri has died at 88.

John Britton died Tuesday at a Jefferson City hospital after an extended illness, said his son-in-law Robert Burns, an Associated Press reporter in Washington.

One of Britton's first clients in a half-century lobbying career that made him one of the most influential people in the state Capitol was Anheuser-Busch, a company he represented despite having quit drinking.

Britton, a notorious chain smoker who frequently flaunted the Capitol's no-smoking rules, worked to keep beer taxes down and fought limits on public smoking.

Britton was previously a speech writer for then-Missouri Attorney General Thomas Eagleton.